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Carl B. Albert Oral History Interview IV

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Carl B. Albert Oral History Interview IV LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON LIBRARY ORAL HISTORY COLLECTION The LBJ Library Oral History Collection is composed primarily of interviews conducted for the Library by the University of Texas Oral History Project and the LBJ Library Oral History Project. In addition, some interviews were done for the Library under the auspices of the National Archives and the White House during the Johnson administration. Some of the Library's many oral history transcripts are available on the INTERNET. Individuals whose interviews appear on the INTERNET may have other interviews available on paper at the LBJ Library. Transcripts of oral history interviews may be consulted at the Library or lending copies may be borrowed by writing to the Interlibrary Loan Archivist, LBJ Library, 2313 Red River Street, Austin, Texas, 78705. CARL ALBERT ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW IV PREFERRED CITATION For Internet Copy: Transcript, Carl Albert Oral History Interview IV, 8/13/69, by Dorothy Pierce McSweeny, Internet Copy, LBJ Library. For Electronic Copy on Diskette from the LBJ Library: Transcript, Carl Albert Oral History Interview IV, 8/13/69, by Dorothy Pierce McSweeny, Electronic Copy, LBJ Library. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON LIBRARY Legal Agreement pertaining to the Oral History Inaterviews of Carl Albert In accordance with the provisions of Chapter 21 of Title 44, United States Code and subject to the terms and conditions herinafter set forth, I, Carl Albert of McAlester, Oklahoma, do hereby give, donate and convey to the Unted States of America all my righats, title and inaterest in the tape recordings and transcripts of personal interviews conducted on April 28, 1969, June 10, 1969, July 9, 1969, and August 13, 1969 in Washington, D. C. and prepared for deposit in the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library. (1) Until January 1, 1983, the transcripts shall be available onlyl to those researchers who have secured my written authorization. Thereafter, the transcripts shall be available to all researchers. (2) Until January 1, 1983, the tape recordings shall be available only to those researchers who have secured my written authorization. Thereafter, the tape recordings shall be available to all researchers. (3) Until January 1, 1983, I retain all copyright in the material given to the United States by the terms of this instrument. Thereafter, the copyright in both the transcripts and tape recordings shall pass to the United States Governmwent. Prior to January 1, 1983, researchers may publish brief "Fair use" quotataions from the transcripts and tape recordings without my express consent in each case. (4) Copies of the transcripts and tape recordings may be provided by the Library to researchers upon request. (5) Copies of the interview transcripts and tape recordings will be provided to the donor for deposit in the University of Oklahoma Library. Copies of the transcript and tape recording also maly be deposited in or loaned to other institutions. Signed by Carl Albert on August 23, 1979 Accepted by James E. O'Neill, Acting Archivist of the United States on September 14, 1979 Original Deed of Gift on File at the Lyndon B. Johnson Library, 2313 Red River, Austin, TX 78705 ACCESSION NUMBER 74-159 BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION Born in McAlester, Okla., May 10, 1908; A.B., U. of Okla., 1931; B.A., Oxford U., Eng. (Rhodes scholar), 1933, B.C.L., 1934; admitted to Oklahoma bar, 1935; legal clk. FHA, 1934-37; atty., accountant Sayre Oil Co., Oklahoma City, 1937-38; legal dept. Ohio Oil Col;, Marshall, Ill., Findlay, O., 1939-40; gen. practice of law, Oklahoma City, 1938, Mattoon, Ill., 1938-39, McAlester, Okla., 1946-47; mem. of Congress, 3d Okla. Dist., 1947-1977; House majority whip, 1955-62; House majority leader, 1962-71; Speaker of the House, 1971-77. Served in U.S. Army, 1941-46, PTO. Decorated Bronze Star, Democrat. INTERVIEW IV DATE: August 13, 1969 INTERVIEWEE: CARL B. ALBERT INTERVIEWER: Dorothy Pierce McSweeny PLACE: Congressman Albert's office in the Capitol, Washington, D. C. Tape 1 of 1 M: We had stopped our previous discussion on the legislative program of 1967. I would like to continue with 1968, and then finish up with the political developments of that year in the Johnson Administration. Among the most controversial and difficult ones that come to mind is the Tax Surcharge which became pigeonholed in the House Ways and Means Committee, and ultimately, when it was brought out and adopted, had pretty large cutbacks in federal spending and personnel. I wonder if you could tell me, with the idea--with all reports Mr. Johnson felt pretty strongly about the necessity of this tax. If you would tell me your role in getting this legislation through the Congress-- A: This the President considered probably the most important bill of that year because of the fact that he was facing a large deficit, and a prospective inflationary reaction to that made it a matter of really major concern. The Secretary of the Treasury then, Joe Fowler, told me that he thought it was going to be the turning point in the history of this country almost if we didn't pass that bill, and that this country was really going to be in trouble in every financial center in the world. It was going to have worldwide repercussions. So President Johnson--and the leadership supported him strongly, the Democratic leadership in the House--decided that he had to have it almost at any price. Well, those of us who had supported the Johnson programs did not want to see the spending limitations which Congressman Mills was insisting on and which the Republican leadership was insisting on. We wanted to keep the spending limitation lower and make it around four or four and a half billion dollars rather than six, but we couldn't get any support from the Republican side for that kind of proposal. That is the unfair thing about Gerald Ford's criticisms of Democrats as against their actions last year when that bill was up because they got a big quid pro quo. They got what they wanted by way of spending limitations. Our members didn't get anything this time for supporting Nixon. That's one of the reasons why they didn't support Nixon in very large numbers. Our members were very unhappy because they'd had to sit by and see programs in which they were vitally interested go down the drain or be cut back while they were getting a tax bill which the country needed and which they sensed that the country needed. Carl Albert -- Interview IV -- 2 Then we had the additional problem last year of having all the more conservative Democrats lining up for the six-billion dollar cut with the Republicans. This made a real tough situation for us and for the President. Finally, we had to give in for the six billion dollars. We did then get a substantial number of Republicans, and we kept a good part of our Democrats, so we had no real problem in passing the bill, although many of them hated, as I say, to see that cut. M: Did the Congressional leaders and yourself talk with Mr. Johnson about this? A: Oh, yes, repeatedly. Over and over again. We had meetings that lasted for six months. I mean we were meeting frequently for over a period of at least six months. And the Ways and Means Committee was very slow, you know, in reporting this bill which was worrying the President considerably. He finally gave in to the big spending limitation which he had to do or he wouldn't have gotten the bill. M: With his astute knowledge of the ways of Congress, did he have any advice as to the strategy or what efforts could be brought to bear? A: Yes. Well, he knew the members, and he knew what the problem was. It was just a question of simple arithmetic. There was no major job of finding out whether you could use something--some unusual persuasion. It was not that kind of a situation. The only figure was the six-billion dollar spending limitation that had to be agreed to or we wouldn't have gotten the bill. Once agreed to, it was easy to get the bill. We could count the members, we knew what they would do. They wouldn't take the four and a half billion dollar limitation. We tried that, you know, and failed. We had hoped that they would take that, and we worked hard on trying to get the members to take that. But we couldn't get the leadership of the Ways and Means Committee, and we couldn't get some of the members of the Appropriations Committee to go along with that, you know. Then there got to be a little bit of a struggle between the Appropriations Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. Finally, the Republicans had the balance of power, and they were insisting on a six-billion dollar cut. M: This would be with the coalition of the more conservative Democrats? A: Yes. M: And there wasn't any way to get the bill out of these various committees to the floor. It wouldn't have done any good. We were defeated on the four and a half billion dollar effort, you know. Carl Albert -- Interview IV -- 3 M: That's true. Did the members of the Congressional liaison from the White House help in--? A: We contacted every member--both they and we. We contacted every single member on the Democratic side. We called everyone. But we didn't know for sure who was going to vote with us.
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